Friday, April 26, 2024
Trevor Smith caught nine passes for 110 yards and a score and Kason Herbelin hauled in his first touchdown pass of the year but it wasn’t enough as the Gatesville Hornets dropped their home football opener 48-14 to Glen Rose on Friday.
The Tigers (2-0) came into the game ranked No. 8 in the most recent 4A Division II rankings and quickly showed why their ranking was more than justified. They jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead and never looked back thanks to the arm and feet of quarterback Hudson White.
“They’re a good team. Give Glen Rose a lot of credit. They do what they do really well,” said Gatesville head coach Aaron Hunter.
Hunter noted that every game allows his staff to identify and correct mistakes and that the Glen Rose game was a good one for his team to measure progress as well as set a course for the rest of the season and for the program.
“We got to see a top 10 team in the state. Now we can go sit back down and say ‘this is where we want to get to’. They are like a district opponent or a playoff opponent. This is who we need to get used to playing and beating,” he said.
For the second week in a row, the Hornets (1-1) were scoreless in the first quarter but, for the second week in a row, found an offensive rhythm after halftime. Hunter noted that he and his staff recognize a need to start quicker offensively and avoid deficits.
If the Hornets are going to advance to the playoffs and win their first playoff game since 2015, they will need their offense to click like it did in the second half. That will likely entail a lot of passes thrown in the direction of Trevor Smith, the Hornets ‘most productive receiver through the first two games.
“He’s becoming a playmaker,” Hunter said.
It was clear that Glen Rose’s top defensive priority was to stop sophomore running back Rayshon Smith, who ran through Taylor for 159 yards in the season-opening win. Though they were moderately successful – Smith still averaged 4.7 yards per carry – they had little success stopping the combo of Trevor Smith and quarterback Jacob Newkirk.
“Newkirk has stepped up in a big way, and the team needs him to be a key factor in our offense,” Smith said.
Smith caused fits for the Glen Rose secondary with a variety of out, comeback, and vertical routes. He averaged almost 13 yards per catch including a 26-yard catch in the second quarter and a 20-yard fourth-quarter touchdown catch.
“I think coach (Jacob) Hunter’s play calling was a key factor in me being effective,” Smith said. “I told him from the start of the game that me and Newkirk felt good and he was able to trust us to throw and catch all night long,” Smith said.
Newkirk finished the game 21-for-37 for 248 yards and two touchdowns passing. His first touchdown pass of the game was a 26-yard dot to Kason Herbelin that put Gatesville on the scoreboard in the third quarter.
The junior quarterback connected with six different receivers. He found Kyle Shafer five times for 38 yards and hit Adrian Smith four times for 59 yards. Theron Stone and Lawson Mooney had one catch apiece.
The Hornets finished the night with 321 yards of total offense. Smith had 52 yards rushing on the night despite missing most of the first half and junior L.J. Hall ran for 35 yards on 11 carries.
Defensively, the Hornets were led by Ashtyn Culley and Mason Mooney, who had 14 and 12 tackles, respectively. Sean Aguilar and Ayden Necessary each recorded 11 tackles.
After racking up four tackles for a loss and one quarterback sack in week one, Lucas Garcia had six tackles and forced a fumble against Glen Rose – one of two the Hornets forced in the game. One was recovered by Canyon Smith and the other by Herbelin, who also broke up two passes.
The Hornets junior varsity was defeated 30-12 by Glen Rose to drop to 1-1 on the season. The Hornets freshman squad throttled the Tigers, 34-14, to stay undefeated at 2-0.
